Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop was set up in 1987 by a group of sculptors to provide workspace and support for artists and to promote access to sculpture and visual arts.

ESW was first located in the Albion Road Business Centre off Easter Road and moved to our current location at Hawthornvale 5 years later. The building we moved into was an old railway shed with sufficient space for wood and metal workshops, offices and other workspaces. We installed 13 studios, later adding 2 more, and created a public space which was used for education activities and events.

From the beginning our key aims were to support artists in their careers and encourage public engagement with the processes involved in sculpture and these aims continue to shape our core programme.

In 2004 we received funding from the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Awards and the City of Edinburgh Council towards the development of a new build project which will see the first purpose-built open access sculpture facility in the United Kingdom being created on our current site.

ESW is a registered charity.